We had the good fortune of connecting with Jesse Peters and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jesse, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
Having a strong work ethic has definitely helped me to succeed in my work. The desire to have my clients excited by my work and their reaction afterwards when I have achieved everything they needed and more is a huge motivation for me.

I also have a bit of self-scrutiny or perfectionism that keeps me honest. If I don’t feel I’m doing well enough to be satisfied, I can’t expect my clients to be either.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I come to photography as a former filmmaking student at Virginia Commonwealth University. I spent most of my young life wanting to make my own movies. Of course, this was in the days of 8mm and 16mm film, so it was no easy thing to get that equipment to work with – unlike the ubiquitous cameras and editing software on smartphones.

I dug a sizable hole paying for student films that never had any hope of return on investment, purely for the love of creating.

A few years passed and ends had to be met, and I ended up as a police officer for the City of Richmond. I got married, started a family and soon after became a stay-at-home dad. All the while I continued to take photos and make movies for myself (although I was using digital video at this point). I learned video editing software on my own and started a small business shooting corporate videos. Then I got the opportunity to take still photos of a golf tournament, and I never looked back!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are almost too many things to do in Richmond, VA. Being on the fall line of the James River, there is kayaking and rafting, and both banks offer miles of trails for running, hiking and mountain biking.

We are two hours from the Atlantic, and two hours from Shenandoah National Park. Beaches and mountains in a day’s drive.

Countless local breweries are located throughout the city, and many offer live entertainment weekly. As for my favorite places to go, I would have to say Edo’s Squid for dinner and Garden Grove Brewing for local beer and wine. And of course, if you are in season, there is always VCU Rams basketball.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to give a shoutout to my brother-in-law, Carlos Romero (now of Community Roofing of Virginia) for asking me to photograph a golf tournament. That opportunity, and the many golfing events following laid the foundation for what I do today.

The Richmond Sports Backers are shoutout recipients as well, as they have been asking me to cover sporting events for the last 17 years.

I also have to include Trey Garman of Garman Communications, LLC. Trey and I worked together with XTERRA triathlon for over 15 years. He brought me on as photographer for the XTERRA races in 2014, and I continue to cover their USA-based triathlons and trail running events.

Website: backlight.zenfolio.com

Instagram: @backlightphoto

Image Credits
Jesse Peters

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